Client/server systems, in which the server executes one or more applications for a client, are similar to traditional multi-user systems such as UNIX. Graphically, these systems behave similarly to X-WINDOWS, a user interface standard for UNIX systems. A client/server system, such as the commercially available WINFRAME system manufactured by Citrix Systems, Inc. of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., may include a number of application servers. Each application server may support multi-tasking of several applications that may be requested by a user at a remotely located workstation.
In order to minimize response time, maximize system throughput, and generally give the appearance that the user's application program is executing at the client, an administrator will often provide a user with access to a number of application servers that host the desired applications and are capable of servicing the user's requests. However, in order for such a system to operate efficiently, the application servers must dynamically coordinate access to system resources shared among the application servers as well as coordinate access to the application servers by the user. One way in which this is done is selecting one server from the group to act as the “master server.” The master server is responsible for keeping track of resource usage both by users and application servers. However, as the number of applications servers grows larger, the administrative burden becomes significant, effectively limiting the size of these networks.
The present invention avoids this potential problem.